He found the official date via the Bonefish website, logged it as a reminder in his phone, and once Monday came, Frances and his friend Guerlensie Laguerre drove across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to get a taste of the borough's newest seafood restaurant.

"I love the place," he said, clutching a paper bag of leftovers. Usually, Frances visits the chain restaurant's location in Iselin, N.J. "Once we found it was closer to us, I said, 'Let's do it.' "

The two arrived early Monday evening. Frances ordered the imperial longfin, which came with mashed potatoes. Ms. Laguerre ordered the fontina chops.

But what really did it for the two was the Bang Bang Shrimp, a Bonefish specialty.

"You gotta try it. It's awesome – trust me," said Frances. "A lot of people come just for the Bang Bang. We normally come for it and wind up having a meal afterwards."

The signature appetizer is described as a tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.

"You can't share them," he said, pointing to his bag. "If you bring anybody with you, order two. If there's three of you, order three."

The service was superb, and the food is fresh, the Brooklynite added.

"As soon as you bite into it, it flakes right off of your fork. I love the way they prepare the food, and I look forward to coming back," Frances said.

Peter and Sharon Guinta tried Bonefish for the first time Monday.

"I got the Chilean sea bass, which was very, very good," said Guinta, who, along with his wife, ordered a tasty shrimp and scallop appetizer. "The service was good and the manager came over to us to see how we were doing."

Mrs. Guinta was equally impressed.

"My impression was that, despite it being the first night, they handled it pretty well," she said, noting her entree was Lily's chicken, a chicken breast with goat cheese, sautéed spinach, artichoke hearts and a lemon basil sauce.

"I enjoyed it. The overall experience was good," Mrs. Guinta said.

Bonefish's menu includes a variety of fish and steaks, including grilled fish choices like the Gulf grouper, jumbo sea scallops and shrimp, and Snake River rainbow trout.

Dee Stoffers of Castleton Corners was joined by Izzy Caban. They too ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp. Ms. Stoffers selected Crab Crusted Pompano, which has a sweet tender flavor and comes with a wine lemon sauce. It is served with garlic whipped potatoes.

"Very good," she said. "I was happy to see they're opening up over here. It's something different."

Caban ordered the longfin tilapia and a dessert that included a brownie and ice cream topped with raspberry sauce.

Sheldon Jimenez of New Springville also chose the Bang Bang Shrimp and a steak.

"Staten Island needs a little bit of this," he said, referring to the seafood choices. "It's always fun to mix it up."

Bonefish replaced the former Carrabba's Italian Grill in the Crossings lot near the Staten Island Mall. Bonefish, Carrabba's, and Outback, which neighbors the new restaurant, are all under the OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, umbrella.

Staten Island's Bonefish location is New York City's first bite of the OSI seafood chain. There are more than 150 locations in 28 states.

For more information on what the restaurant has to offer, visit www.bonefishgrill.com or dial 718-761-5628. Bonefish Grill is located at 280 Marsh Ave.